Set 50 years before the reimagined "Battlestar Galactica" series, themes involving artificial intelligence, corporate responsibility and a tragedy that impacts the Graystone and Adama families play out in the series premiere. Eric Stoltz; Esai Morales.

Thursday, August 31

When I returned home last night, a package awaited me that I later knew would most definitely define a good portion of the near midnight hours of my night; a large, thin, hard bound book containing beautiful pictures, text and DVDs for the first four episodes of Battlestar Galactica's third season.

It's extremely difficult to tell you too much about the new season and the episodes I watched without spoiling things for you, especially when I'm such a hardcore member of Spoilers Anonymous as it is. Sorry in advance if I'm giving too little or too much away, but I think this will be a good start to get you even more excited for the new season, which starts Friday, October 6.

Let me start by saying that you won't be disappointed. I admit I was afraid things were going to be pretty sketchy this season, with the show's creators taking a leap of faith by transplanting the series a year into the future. I'm extremely pleased at how well it's working, and there are lots of hints of promise for what's to come.

The opening scenes of the two-hour premiere (called "Occupation / Precipice") are almost poetic, and they definitely give you that excited feeling that "holy crap, BSG is back!" That haunting, ethereal music, teasing shots of people we've come to know on the show. It only keeps getting better.

The opening credit scenes, though they looked a little unfinished, are a bit different than last season. In the opening "they have a plan" intro, they've thrown in a few scenes from last season. During the opening credits scene, they've stuck with the format of teasing us with future scenes from the episode, while also changing the scenes prior to those teases. Nothing major, but they're there.

My tired eyes only allowed me to watch the two-hour premiere, the following episode and about ten minutes of the next. Oh, you can bet your ass I'll be finishing up the last two episodes tonight. But here's some teases I can give you from what I did see without giving anything too spoilery away:

We start about 134 days later than we last left the show. I'm reasonably sure this isn't news, but I can now confirm it. The colonials have been living amongst the Cylons for all this time, and you'll see all that's changed because of it. And I think there are things that will surprise you.

Someone who many suspected to be a Cylon last season looks not to be one. It's not explicitly stated, but when you see just the opening minutes of the two-hour season premiere, you'll likely come to the same conclusion.

Starbuck's situation will surprise you. Not only will her whereabouts surprise you, but when Starbuck meets someone named Casey, you may be surprised at her reactions toward her.

Lee Adama's state of body and mind is a bit shocking. Remember, he's back on Galactica and Pegasus with his father and a paltry skeleton crew. He hasn't had a whole lot of motivation, to say the least.

Colonel Tigh isn't taking things laying down. Maybe it's just me, but I've always felt Tigh acted very much like an old seasoned sea captain, who'd take no crap from the bad elements thrown at him. I was disappointed when we saw a lot of his weak side on Galactica in the past two seasons, especially when he couldn't do a whole lot without Adama around. He's acting more like that seasoned sea captain now, along with the battle scars to earn it. Put it this way -- the promo pictures for season three showing Saul aren't quite accurate (yet, at least).

There are dogs on New Caprica. Not really a spoiler, but I found it odd that there was a domesticated dog on the planet, when they've only been there less than two years. Did they really have dogs on Galactica?

I'll leave you with that for now. I'm sure there will be more to mention once I watch the two-parter I've already started (and then the following episode after that). I'll leave those for my next Spoilers Anonymous entry, though I'll be just as cryptic if not moreso.

Hello fellow techies. At present, HNR is undergoing a bit of chaos. Pain is always a part of change, and during that time, the TECH BLOG will be somewhat intermittent. When HNR is done with it's upgrade, not only will it be quite the primo site, TECH BLOG entries will be a lot more regular. In fact, TECH BLOG #6 will be just a smattering of fairly brief topics. It'll be significantly less "Techie" than usual (mostly because I want to get this out the door before Dragon*Con, and I have a deadline on another writing project (a book chapter on the physics of the video game Halo for Ben Bella Books).

Speaking of Dragon*Con, for those who care I'll be doing five panels while there: three on Galactica, one on Eureka, and an overview of the science results from the Cassini/Huygens Mission to Saturn and Titan.

The BSG TECH BLOG and San Diego Comic-Con

Despite the fact that Eric Chu has been illustrating, and I've been writing, the TECH BLOG for over a year now, we'd never met until San Diego Comic-Con this past year.

I've done science panel discussions in the past, but it's only recently that I've been getting quite a few invitations to Science Fiction conventions, and have started doing Galactica-related panels. I've rapidly learned three very important things:

1. No matter how good the science is in a series, there's always somebody who'll point out that two minutes into Act III of the third episode of season one, something wasn't exactly perfect.

2. Always be diplomatic, especially because...

3. Everything you say can, and will, show up on somebody's blog. If you're really unfortunate, it may even show up on the Wikipedia.

I also leaned that people out there really DO read this thing! I received a lot of compliments and kind words at both San Diego Comic-Con and World Con. Thank you. Getting the science done well in Battlestar Galactica takes not only technical input, but a production team willing to listen. On Galactica we have both.

It was a year ago, as I watched the Katrina coverage, that I first thought about doing this blog entry. Now that we're on the first anniversary of that catastrophe, it seems like as good a time as any to at least talk about this subject.

The subject is the one most likely to inspire yawns and rolling of eyes, so ready your mouse to click onto something else: Disaster Preparedness.

Still awake?

Okay, look, I'm not writing this because I've been sentenced to doing PSA's off some DUI conviction or something, but I do work on a show that's premised on the idea of an apocalyptic event actually happening to group of people and their struggle to survive in its aftermath, and so the idea of being ready for the unexpected does actually occur to me on occasion.

I won't make this a rant or a sermon, but I will ask anyone reading this blog to take at least a moment to think about the idea that maybe, just maybe, something really bad can happen to you and the people in your life that you care about. Your life can be upended by any one of a litany of disasters and in that moment of maximum peril, the one thought that should NOT be going through your head is, "I wish I had thought about this ahead of time."

And don't think for a moment that just because you don't live in a hurricane area or an earthquake zone or next to a potential terrorist target that something bad can't happen to you. It can. Houses burn, cars crash, and sometimes things just fall out of the frakking sky. That's life and it sucks, but you can at least help yourself by waking up to the idea that bad things happen to good people all the time and that means YOU.

Get some supplies. Get a plan. Get a clue.

There are plenty of websites out there to help you, I'm not going to hold your hand and give you a list of things to do. Battlestar Galactica is all about the precious few survivors of a holocaust and how they cope with the reality of their lives in its aftermath. Give yourself a fighting chance to be a survivor.

Get some supplies. Get a plan. Get a clue.

Thank you. This site will now return to its regularly (or intermittently) scheduled programming.

Tuesday, August 29

Ronald D. Moore, executive producer of SCI FI Channel's original series Battlestar Galactica, told fans that the upcoming third season of the hit SF series could see some fatalities among the characters. "Oh, there're some changes in the air," Moore said at the 64th World Science Fiction Convention, or WorldCon, in Anaheim, Calif., over the weekend. "We're going to lose some people this year. Not all of our friends are going to make it all the way." Moore declined to be specific, but said that the show's writers have finished breaking the story arc for the end of the upcoming third season.

Moore added that the upcoming season 2.5 DVD set will include a special 90-minute version of the episode "Pegasus," which ran only 60 minutes in the original broadcast. In addition, fresh material in the form of specially filmed "webisodes," Battlestar Galactica: The Resistance, will air on SCIFI.COM's SCI FI Pulse broadband network twice weekly, starting Sept. 5. The two- or three-minute shorts will serve as a lead-in to the new season and, although not essential to the plot, will enhance the viewing experience.

Moore was joined at WorldCon by executive producer Mark Verheiden, supervising producer Michael Taylor, story editor Anne Cofell Saunders, producers David Weddle and Bradley Thompson and SCIFI.COM senior vice president Craig Engler in screening a trailer for and talking about the upcoming season.

When asked whether the show was still true to his initial vision, Moore said he felt it was on track, but that there had been surprises along the way, from both writers and actors, that made both the storyline and the characters richer.

"One of the great things about writing for Ron is you do feel empowered to try things, and it doesn't have to be ... what was in the story outline," Weddle said. "I'm sure many of you remember in season two, where Callie shoots Boomer. That was never in an outline. That wasn't a planned moment. ... [Writer] Toni Graphia called Brad [Thompson] and [me] one day and said, 'You know, I think I want Callie to shoot Boomer.'"

Moore agreed: "There's nothing like reading a script and being surprised," he said of his reaction to the change. "It's the experience of watching the show." Season three of Battlestar Galactica begins airing Oct. 6. Galactica will air Fridays at 9 p.m. ET/PT

Katee Sackhoff, who plays Starbuck on the new Battlestar Galactica, will make her only U.S. convention appearance in 2006 at Starbase Indy. Her Starbuck is not your stereotypical female. The cigar-smoking, card-playing Starbuck is bold, bucks authority and disobeys orders when she believes she’s right. Katee will be at opening ceremonies Friday, will be on stage Saturday and will attend the Saturday night Dinner with the Stars.

Starbase Indy is a fan-run convention in its 11th year. At the convention, attendees have multiple opportunities to interact with the stars. In addition, the laid-back atmosphere and varied programming provide a perfect opportunity to meet old friends or to build new friendships that will last a lifetime.

Other events include the masquerade, tentatively set for 8 p.m. Friday; Dinner with the Stars on Saturday night; and a special surprise performance featuring most of the guests on Sunday. Other activities include gaming, a CSI workshop, and programs on astronomy.

Sunday, August 27

Dynamite Entertainment has provided Newsarama with a four page preview of next week’s Battlestar Galactica #1 by Greg Pak and Nigel Raynor, with covers by Raynor (25%) Billy Tan (25%), Michael Turner (25%) and a BSG Cast photo cover (25%).

The solicitation for the issue reads:

The biggest comic book event of 2006 begins here as Dynamite Entertainment launches the all-new, Battlestar Galactica comic book series based on the all-new "re-imagined" Battlestar Galactica on SCIFI!! Picking up from the final pages of the best-selling #0 issue, Battlestar Galactica #1 features the ongoing creative team of writer Greg (Planet Hulk) Pak and Nigel Raynor! Joining the inside team we have the all-star team of cover artists Michael Turner with colorist extraordinaire Peter Steigerwald, Billy (Uncanny X-Men) Tan and Nigel Raynor; plus, a special photo cover showcasing the cast of BSG! Our story focus on an "untold tale" taking place in between seasons of the popular show and the return of characters not seen since the smash mini-series that re-launched Galactica to critical acclaim.

Don't miss out and don't forget to ask your local retailer about the special incentive covers!

Friday, August 25

The first two seasons of Battlestar Galactica weren’t exactly lighthearted affairs, but according to executive producer Ron Moore and star Edward James Olmos, the upcoming third year will be its darkest yet. In separate interviews, the two recently spoke to Now Playing about where the show is going and what’s in store for both the human and Cylon factions (Hint: It’s not going to be pretty for either side).

“The writing, the story, the character development is devastating,” Olmos says. “I cannot tell you. I worked last week and I’ve never had a week like that in my life, because everything that’s happening to the human species is into the final steps of its annihilation. So every single moment becomes the end of the existence of the human species, and it’s deadly when you are working at that level constantly. The attention is overwhelming. Both Mary [McDonnell] and I are sitting there going, ‘My God. This is too much.’”

Olmos revealed that the humans will use a pandemic to try and annihilate “a race” (he didn’t say which one, but it’s not difficult to guess) by infecting them with a deadly virus. He also talked about returning to the director’s chair for the 12th episode, which will be the first to air after the mid-season hiatus. The tone of the episode will be quite different from his previous effort, last season’s “Tigh Me Up, Tigh Me Down.”

“This one will be more connected to the main body,” he says. “The other one was a comedy. We decided to try one in the first season just to lighten things up. And it worked well. I thought it worked very, very well. It was very different, and it introduced some very strong characters. And in turn, those characters now are going to devastate you. What happens to them is brutal. It’s very sad.”

For executive producer Ron Moore, the turn to the dark side is something that was always part of the show’s natural progression. “I think we deal with some dark material in the third season,” Moore agrees. “I don’t know that it’s any darker than anything we’ve dealt with previously, but the show continues to sort of take risks and be provocative and do challenging stuff. I’m happy about that. But the show is not nihilistic. The show is not a bleak show about really depressing things. I think it’s really just about how people react and how people are and how people behave in situations and that’s what you’re tuning in to see.”

Moore adds that he’s not worried about the series getting too serious. There’s always a light at the end of the tunnel. “The show’s always had a dark premise at its heart, [but] the show’s also always been about hope and the human condition and the fact that these people struggle on in spite of everything that happens to them.”

The season premiere of Galactica airs Friday, Oct. 6 on SCI FI Channel.

Thursday, August 24

Theres only a few days left before The Sci-fi Channel's hottest TV series returns as Battlestar Galactica 2 blasts onto DVD. As the epic second season begins, the fight to save humanity rages on - even as civil war looms within the fleet between the followers of President Roslin and Commander Adama. Battlestar Galactica's second season left no doubts about the continuing excellence of the best science fiction TV series of 2005. Beginning with the Colonial Fleet separated, Col. Tigh (Michael Hogan) botching his temporary command, and Commander Adama (Edward James Olmos) near death after a Cylon assassination attempt, Relive all the intensity and excitement aboard the Galactica. It's a heart-pounding adventure you can't afford to miss!

You can now preorder the DVD containing all 20 episodes of season 2 from Amazon UK

availability: Due for release on 28/08/2006price: £34.99

Region 2 - Will only play on European Region 2 or multi-region DVD players.

Click any of the Amazon UK links to preorder the item through Galactica Station

Monday, August 21

Your favourite BSG cast members are appearing in the style section of the September 2006 issue of Maxim magazine and we have to say they look pretty darn stylish. Included in the fashion shoot are images of Edward James Olmos, Jamie Bamber, James Callis, Tahmoh Penikett, Michael Trucco, Aaron Douglas, Tricia Helfer and Katee Sackhoff modelling the latest fashions.

There are images of Admiral Adama wearing a leather blazer from Georgio Armani and Jamie Bamber wearing an Armoured Blend coat from CK39, Katee Sackhoff looking gorgeous in a Natalia cardigan by Secrets of Charm.

Follow the GS link to see more images which have been kindly scanned by BSG-CZ.net

Saturday, August 19

As most of you may already know, Battlestar Galactica recently delved into the digital world with the announcement of a series of original webisodes, to be produced by SCI FI Channel, and to eventually debut on the network's new "SCI FI Pulse" online broadband network.

One of the early installments was to be titled "Crossroads."

Part of the rationale behind the concept is to keep fervor and interest alive in network properties in-between seasons, but it now appears that the concept has hit a snag.

NBC Universal has filed a complaint with the National Labor Relations Board, alleging labor law violations by the Writers Guild of America.

According to TV Week, the complaint claims the WGA has asked writers and producers on programs such as Battlestar Galactica to cease working on Web-only episodes. The complaint claims the webisodes are already covered under current guild contract and urges the NLRB to compel staffers to resume work. NBCU claims webisode production has been at a standstill since June.

Networks often spend about $5,000 or less to produce a webisode that typically has a running time of two to four minutes. With little to no advertising revenue generated by the content, networks are reluctant to pay writers for Internet reuse, instead arguing the content is strictly promotional.

That the WGA has also rallied producers, who are not represented by the WGA, is unusual. The affected shows also include NBC's Crossing Jordan, The Office and Heroes.

“This is the darkest show I’ve ever been a part of,” James Olmos (Admiral William Adama) said in the actor’s first ever-promotional appearance at the San Diego Comic Con International. “But the darkness comes from reality and the re-thinking of what bad guys really are.” Olmos proudly reminded the two thousand plus crowd that in the George A. Peabody Award winner it is the Cylons who actually have more understanding, human relationships than his crewmates. “ . . . And my relationship with Apollo – it gets much worse, too,” James mentioned amongst snickers from other panellists.

On July 21st, 2006, Ron Moore headed a panel of actors, writers and producers whom discussed the future of Battlestar Galactica and the new prequel series, Caprica. Though the new series will focuses on the rise of the Cylons and is still in development, the current show promises more intimate Cylon-human relationships than last season. In fact, the first half of Season Three will be cantered on a Cylon ship and the captured Galactica crewmember.

At the end of last season, fans were shocked to see a year’s leap in the storyline. Still, Mr. Moore conceded that the show would begin only four months in the future, placing Battlestar on the front lines waiting to rescue colonists, but with only half a fleet, this task becomes a tricky venture.

In previous interviews, Moore admitted that his re-imagined version of the show originated with the terrorist attacks on US soil in 2001. James Olmos re-iterated that the current show mirrors contemporary political issues. “Keeping the BG reality-myth believable is what makes the show interesting . . . it is the investigation of the sociological concept and reflection through the Human-Cylon relationship that makes the story entertaining but dark – and not a show for kids to watch alone.”

Caprica, the new series set fifty years before the events depicted in the new Galactica series, will tell the story of the Twelve Colonies. Though the colonies are at peace, new high-technology will make it possible to merge artificial intelligence with robotics that ultimately shape the first living machines – the Cylons. Ultimately, the Cylons revolt and war with the colonists. The series will focus on two major families: the Adamas and the Graystones, and will feature corporate drama, high tech action and sexual politics. Panellist David Eick and Ron Moore will be executive producers with Remi Aubuchon (of the wildly popular 24 series) is currently writing the pilot episode.

Saturday, August 12

Battlestar info blastBecause we love Battlestar like you love Battlestar, we’ve collected together all the latest Galactica information into one big story! SPOILER WARNING.

[10 Aug 2006 10:09am]Not long now until Battlestar Galactica blasts back on to US screens. The third season kicks off on Friday 6 October and the information about the new shows is leaking fast. Naturally, we need to offer a gigantic SPOILER WARNING to anyone trying to stay clean and info free. In fact, if you’re worried about spoiling anything, we’d advise you to go check out another part of the site.Before we get into the meat of the fresh info (because we know there are folks still reading who are trying to decide if you want to be spoiled or not) a little spoiler-free info: BSG has been nominated for three Emmy awards in the States. The awards – seen by some as the Oscars of telly – will be handed out on 27 August. And Battlestar is up for three, though sadly not in the big acting or dramatic categories. Still, it’s something. The awards it will be competing for are: Outstanding Single-Camera Sound Mixing For A Series category ("Scattered"), Outstanding Costumes For A Series ("Lay Down Your Burdens, Part 2") and Outstanding Special Visual Effects For A Series ("Resurrection Ship, Part 2"). Seems that despite Lost getting the drama nod last year, the Emmy academy is still a little sci-fi shy.

Right then, on to the good stuff. Don’t say we didn’t warn you.

Ron Moore has been talking to Now Playing magazine about Season Three, including the direction the series will take and some of the major issues to be dealt with. No surprise that the occupation of New Caprica features heavily. “Essentially, early Season Three is going to deal with the Cylon occupation of the Colonials on New Caprica. The sort of archetype that we’re talking about is like Vichy France: There’s a Colonial government run by President Baltar that is collaborating with the Cylons, while the humans put together an insurgent resistance against the occupation.”

But if the idea of a ground-based Galactica isn’t to your taste, fear not – the show will be heading back out into the void again. “We do eventually plan on getting them back out into space, and also another major thing that’s going to happen in the season is we’re going to do an ongoing Cylon story where we’re going to be cutting over to the Cylon world for the first time and running a complete arc within the Cylon arena,” reveals Moore. “It’s still coming together, but the occupation arc will probably be three or four or five episodes... probably four episodes. We’re still kind of stroking out exactly how these kinds of things will fall, but I don’t think it will take quite as long as it took us to wrap up the arc at the beginning of the second season.”

For more of Moore’s thoughts and ideas for the coming season, head over to the full interview HERE.

Meanwhile, the episode titles for the first part of the season – which will again be split into two chunks to allow the production team time to make the show – have now all been released, along with a few scattered plot synopses.

First up is "Occupation", which naturally deals with life on New Caprica under the Cylon rule. But there are also problems on the Cylon side after D’Anna (Lucy Lawless) discovers that Sharon’s hybrid child survived. Following that, we have a run of shows yet to be given plot descriptions – "Precipice", "Exodus Part 1" and "Exodus Part 2", "Collaborators" and "Torn".

"Hero" will focus on Admiral Adama’s dark past, as executive producer David Eick explained recently: “It has to do with a revelation about something truly egregious and illegal that Adama was guilty of doing during the days leading up to the attack, and how he has kept the revelation of that incident from rearing its head. An event transpires that brings it all home with a vengeance, and the ramifications are significant.” Sounds like prime Galactica material.

That’s followed by "The Passage", and "Eye Of Jupiter", which apparently sees the crew land on the desolate planet Algae. That’s followed – according to current details by a second part, "Rapture". And finally, there’s "Taking A Break", which sees a new prisoner captured by the Galactica bods, who suspect he’s a Cylon.

Please bear in mind that as the show is still in production, all titles and synopses are subject to change.

Finally, if you’re bursting to find out what happened during the months-long gap alluded to in the Season Two finale, the SCI FI Channel is planning to plug that knowledge hole with a series of ten Galactica webisodes on its internet channel Pulse. The series will be called Battlestar Galactica: The Resistance and will show some of the events that happened during that time. You’ll be able to find that at the Pulse site HERE. They’re already boasting an interview with Edward James Olmos.

Galactica fans should also be aware that there is an interview with Grace Park in the CURRENT ISSUE of SFX, plus they will be more BSG coverage in the issue out on Wednesday 30 August. Don’t miss it!

Fall TV SpecialGo behind the scenes for insider secrets on an explosive new season.Battlestar Galactica 3.0Battlestar Galactica won both a Peabody and an American Film Institute Award—and now it's on course to win over mainstream America.

He's talking about:- season 3- his views - or lackthereof - of TOS and how he got involved with BSG- the visual style of the series- the podcasts- the webisodes- the creation of the end title cards where he and Ron Moore kill each otherNo major spoilers ;)

They are specifically mentioning the out-of-focus and zoom special effects shots. But he doesn't credit "Firefly" for premiering that :(I can't help but think that Zoic had a lot to do with that. Having a visible camera is a logical outgrowth of the real cinematography, but Zoic already had the experience to realize it in CGI as well

The Edited version containing only the David Eick Section can be found in the audio Lab at Galactica Station

It's official. The second season of British writer Russell T. Davies' take on "Doctor Who" will premiere on Sci Fi in next month.

I have exclusive confirmation of Season 2's start date: It begins airing on Sept. 29. So once "Battlestar Galactica" begins its third season Oct. 6, the two sci-fi shows will air together on Fridays.

From the network's Thursday press release: "Sci Fi Channel and BBC Worldwide Americas today announced a major licensing agreement for the second season of Doctor Who. The series will return to Sci Fi in September 2006, kicking off with a two-hour premiere that will include the 'Christmas Invasion' special in which David Tennant ('Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire' ) was introduced as the tenth Time Lord.

"Billie Piper returns as the Doctor's feisty young companion, Rose Tyler, and together they will travel through time and space battling new and returning aliens and monsters."

Thursday, August 10

TV special recapping Peabody-winning Sci-fi channel series will become first frakkin' full-length show available Microsoft's online service.

When it debuted in 2003, the new Battlestar Galactica was greeted with skepticism. After all, it was a remake of a 1970-'80s series with a strong cult following produced by the Sci-Fi Channel, a cable network then infamous for its low-budget TV movies of the week.

Surprisingly, Battlestar Galactica proved the naysayers wrong. Its innovative plotlines, which were created by ex-Star Trek: The Next Generation writer Ronald D. Moore, won it critical acclaim and solid ratings. The series has also garnered a major following for its unusually gritty atmosphere. Instead of the clean-cut, sober officers of the Star Trek shows, Galactica's crew is a unkempt, hard-drinking lot whose demoralized dialogue is peppered with the fictional expletive "frak."

In 2004, the show was picked up as a full-time series. It ended its most recent season, its second, in March with one of the more shocking cliffhangers in sci-fi television history. Such boldness helped the show win one of this year's Peabody Awards, the prestigious honor for excellence in broadcasting which it shared with CNN, NBC Nightly News, and South Park, amongst others.

The third season of Battlestar Galactica is premiering in October, and the Sci-Fi channel is pulling out all the stops to promote it. It has put together a television special, titled Battlestar Galactica: The Story So Far, summing up the key events of the Battlestar Galactica mini series and its first two seasons. The special will air on all the cable stations owned by Sci-Fi parent NBC Universal, which includes Bravo and USA, as well as the West Coast affiliates of the NBC broadcast TV network.

NBC Universal will also be targeting gamers with its PR offensive by releasing The Story So Far on Xbox Live Marketplace in its entirety. Though both seasons of Battlestar Galactica are already available on iTunes, the special will be the "first longform program ever to be offered" on Xbox Live.

While exciting for fans of the show with Xbox 360s, the announcement was short on information about the The Story So Far on Xbox Live. No date was given for the release of the program, nor was its size revealed. In addition, no price was mentioned for the program, though given its promotional nature, it is presumably free.

Unfortunately, the Xbox Live announcement had no information on the rumored Battlestar Galactica role-playing game which Moore mentioned when he spoke at the 2006 Game Developers Conference.

Wednesday, August 9

A fan board for Luciana Carro (Lt. Louanne 'kat' Katraine) has been set up by Solium. A short bio of the character can be found on the Biography section on Galactica Station: Lt. Louanne 'kat' Katraine

Scott Ian, the guitar player for the thrash metal rock band Anthrax, and his mates paid a surprise visit on Aug. 3 to the Vancouver, B.C., set of SCI FI Channel's original series Battlestar Galactica, of which he is a huge fan. "Everyone was so cool to us!" Ian—who made the visit with Anthrax bass player Frank Bello, agent Mike Monterulo and Anthrax.com webmaster Brent Thompson—said in an interview. "Not that I expected people to be crabby. I just thought it would be more businesslike. Everyone from the driver that picked us up to Edward James Olmos [Adm. Adama] were so cool. Unbelievable hospitality."

The band was in the Canadian city to perform with Rob Zombie. A fan of the show who knew that Galactica filmed locally, Ian called SCI FI to arrange a visit to the show's Vancouver Film Studios set. Sian McArthur in the production office gave them a tour, introduced them to cast and crew and even took photos of Ian with the cast and sitting in Starbuck's Viper. All told, the rockers spent five hours on set.

"When we were on set watching a scene with all the Cylons inside their base ship, we were just trying to stay out of everyone's way," Ian said. "And then we were escorted to chairs right behind director Michael Rymer and given headsets so we could hear the dialogue! Too much. Our guide for the day, Sian McArthur, was perfect, and Katee Sackhoff [Starbuck] and Aaron Douglas [Tyrol] went above and beyond to make sure we were cool. Sitting in Starbuck's Viper was cool, too."

Why is Ian such a fan? Is it the music? "Because it's the best-written show on television," he said. "It's story-driven, and the perfectly cast characters take it to a whole other level that transcends the sci-fi genre. And the Cylons are frakkin' badass." Battlestar Galactica returns with a new third season in the fall.

One-Hour Recap Special Preps Viewers for the Season 3 Premiere Sweeping Distribution to Include Online, In-Store, And On-Air Across Every NBC Universal Property New York, NY August 9, 2006 After a long, hot summer, SCI FI Channel offers some sweet relief to 'Battlestar Galactica' devotees and new viewers alike a one-hour recap special to whet their appetites for the series' season 3 premiere in October. Incorporating footage from the original SCI FI miniseries and the show's previous two seasons of the Peabody Award-winning series, 'Battlestar Galactica: The Story So Far' will serve as a refresher for current fans and as a primer for anyone new to the world of Galactica. Told through the voice of Laura Roslin (Mary McDonnell), the Secretary of Education-turned President - turned resistance leader on now Cylon-occupied New Caprica, 'Battlestar Galactica: The Story So Far' will chronicle humanity's costly struggle to survive against its deadliest enemy. In a broad synergistic move, 'Battlestar Galactica: The Story So Far' will air across all NBC Universal platforms NBC, USA Network, Bravo, Sleuth, Universal HD, and online on SCIFI.COM's own broadband channel, 'Pulse.'

The special will be broadcast as follows: Sunday, August 13 at 10PM NBC West Coast (following Football) Monday, August 28 Free On Demand via SCI FI's cable affiliates Friday, September 15 at 12AM USA Sunday, September 17 at 7PM Universal HD Monday, September 18 at 9AM USA Friday, September 22 at 8PM Universal HD Friday, September 22 at 6PM Sleuth Friday, September 29 at 7PM BRAVO Saturday, September 30 at 11AM BRAVO Saturday, September 30 at 4PM Universal HD September SCIFI.COM's Pulse Friday, October 6 at 7PM SCI FI *Other SCI FI airings TBD in Sept/Oct*

SCI FI's comprehensive promotional outreach will extend far beyond just the broadcasts. Throughout September and leading up to the season 3 premiere, 'The Story So Far' will also be made available for download via iTunes and XBox Live the first longform program ever to be offered via XBox and will be distributed at Best Buy as a bonus dvd with the 'Battlestar Galactica' season 2.5 dvd set, as well as other genre titles, from Universal Home Video. The dvd will also be distributed to visitors to the Universal Studios theme parks, and snippets of the special will be available on YouTube, Google Video and other video portal sites.

'Battlestar Galactica' is the gripping saga of humanity's last remnants and their struggle to find a new home while fleeing from their deadly Cylon enemies. Redefining the space opera with its gritty realism, 'Galactica's intensity, issues-driven topicality, and command performances have garnered it numerous awards, including the prestigious George Foster Peabody Award. Executive produced by Ronald D. Moore and David Eick, the series stars Edward James Olmos, Mary McDonnell, Jamie Bamber, Katee Sackhoff, James Callis, Tricia Helfer and Grace Park.

'Battlestar Galactica' is from NBC Universal Television Studio. SCI FI Channel is a television network where "what if" is what's on. SCI FI fuels the imagination of viewers with original series and events, blockbuster movies and classic science fiction and fantasy programming, as well as a dynamic Web site (www.scifi.com) and magazine. Launched in 1992, and currently in 85 million homes, SCI FI Channel is a network of NBC Universal, one of the world's leading media and entertainment companies.

At present it would be unfair to say that genre television has not taken on some interesting twists and turns over the last few years and one show which has stirred up much press coverage over the last 2 years is the controversial re-imagining of Battlestar Galactica. In a recent interview for SciFi Pulse in collaboration with Battlestargalactica.com Ron Moore answered some quick fire questions and gave some valuable insights with regards to what we could see in the forthcoming third season of the show.

One of the taglines for the show throughout the first two seasons is that the 'Cylons have a plan' yet we haven't really seen a great deal of this plan being formed, other than maybe the potential for a Cylon Civil war which seemed to be getting set up in the episode 'Downloaded'. How do you plan to address this in the coming season, are there likely to be more episodes like 'Downloaded' where the viewers get to see the Cylon perspective? Now that the Cylons have occupied New Caprica how much of this plan is likely to be revealed and is Baltar the Cylon God?

We will definitely be seeing more of the Cylons and getting a better understanding of how their society operates this season. We're doing a whole arc taking place entirely on one of the Cylon Baseships and a great deal of information will be detailed about their faith and their culture. Baltar may or may not be the Cylon God and he may or may not be a Cylon and both questions will be raised (but not necessarily answered) this year.

One of your famous quips is that you killed Captain Kirk. Now given that none of the principal cast on Galactica have died as of yet, only really a few supporting characters. What sort of story element do you think it would take to maybe kill off one of your main cast members and how do you think such a bold move would reverberate across the fan base for your show?

I think it's all about how you do something like this. Killing Kirk was a great concept and had the potential to resonate throughout the Star Trek franchise, but the execution (no pun intended) was flawed and the impact was not what we'd hoped for on any level. Killing off a main character in this show is somewhat different because "Galactica" is more of an ensemble piece than Trek ever was, but I'd still take the lessons I learned from "Generations" into account if I were going down that road. I think it would have to service the larger story of Galactica and it would have to be a pivotal event in the show's history, so that in retrospect you'd say "I hated the moment they killed X, but if they hadn't, it wouldn't ended up as great as it did."

A hot topic of conversation right now is the recent announcement of the prequel series you are going to produce called 'Caprica,' what can you tell us about this and how do you intend to tie it into the Galactica story line, will you be linking from one show to the other, say mentioning historical notes in Galactica which refer to Caprica in past tense?

‘Caprica’ is about the creation of the Cylons and takes place about 50 years before the events seen in ‘Galactica.’ There will be a strong tie to the series in that it will deal with Adama's family and the pivotal role his family played in those events, but there aren't other character ties being discussed as yet. We might mention events from ‘Caprica’ in ‘Galactica’ at some point, but that would be well into Season Four at the earliest. I can also tell you that ‘Caprica’ is a very different show in that it's planet-based, is not action-adventure, and has no space battles whatsoever. It's a family drama set in the corporate world, but does deal with many of the same thematic issues as ‘Galactica,’ like faith, ethics, reason, and what it means to be human.

One of your passions is military history especially when it concerns the US Navy. Now given that you may or may not be familiar with British Military history, am wondering if you have heard of a famous world war II fighter pilot called Douglas Bader who lost both his legs in Combat and still led squadrons in spite of this disability. Have you ever thought of maybe severely disabling one of Galactica's pilot's as a means to maybe adding more depth to them, i.e. that characters struggle to get back into a Viper cockpit or something along those lines and them having to deal with the trauma of losing said limb or limbs? I do know it was done on Star Trek but the one problem with that is it was all healed up in the space of two episodes.

I have heard the story of Douglas Bader, but I've never really thought about doing something in the show along these lines. It's an interesting idea and I'll think about that. (No, you do not get story credit.)

Okay a crunch question here. Many folks have been going on for years about there never having been a gay relationship played out as part of the furniture in the Star Trek shows, in fact it has been one of those things which has been a constant since it was revealed that there were plans to have a Gay character in an episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation. So this said, and the fact that you always seem to refer back to Star Trek about things you could not do on that, do you have any plans or have you even thought about perhaps having a gay relationship play out as part of your take on the Galactica universe?

This is something that get discussed periodically in the writers' room. I'd like to at least establish that homosexuality exists in the Galactica world, but I've yet to hit on a way of doing it that doesn't feel like it flashes a neon light saying, "See, here's our gay show!" I think this is a valid thing to do in the series and I'm somewhat ashamed that I've been unimaginative in this area. All I can do is promise to keep it under discussion.

Galactica actually lost a rather substantial 28% of its audience at the start of season Two and the ratings have gradually bottomed out with between a 1.7 being the worst and 1.9 market share according to the Nielson overnights. How much of this ratings drop do you think could possibly be attributed to various websites leaking your scripts in advance and how much of the drop off do you view as acceptable losses given that historically many shows seems to lose a largish chunk of their pick up audience during the 2nd season or at the midway point of the first?

I don't think the script leaks have anything to do with the ratings, I really don't. Leaking scripts and spoilers irritates me and the other people on the show who are working so hard to present a finished product to the audience, but I doubt that it has any real impact in terms of viewership. I mean, if you care enough to read a leaked script, chances are you're watching the show anyway. I don't have a theory about the ratings and the patterns of viewership. Often, the shows we think are going to tank in the ratings turn out to be the most popular and vice-versa. It's a crapshoot as far as I can see and all you can do is make the best show you possibly can and hope that the audience responds.

According to one of your blog entries at Scfi.com you expressed a degree of dissatisfaction with certain episodes of the last half of the second season. What episodes in particular could you reference as examples and where do you think you could have improved them if you had the luxury of a little more time?

I've bashed both 'Black Market' and 'Sacrifice' on the podcasts for not measuring up to what I'd hoped. I think in retrospect, we should've taken different tacks on both scripts and simply made them... better. As the head writer and show-runner, it's my job to see problems on the page before they make it to screen, so the buck in both instances stops with me.

Back to the issue of leaked scripts. One fan in particular has posed an interesting question which asks about your apparent attitude with regards to creating the show which 'You want' to do. Did you have this same wish when you did Star Trek, or was Star Trek so constrained that many times you were never really able to tell the stories you wanted too? Also would not having samples of scripts out there not be beneficial in regards to inviting some fan input so that you are able to create a show which both you and the fans are happier with?

On ‘Star Trek’ I often railed against the strictures of the show itself, which I felt constrained us from taking more chances. I believed then, and still do today, that ‘Trek’ had such an enormous fan base and such a huge pop cultural prominence that we could really explore much more provocative themes and that we didn't have to play it so safe with the characters. On ‘Galactica’ I get to decide what is and what isn't the show and the freedom of being in that position is incredibly gratifying.

My chief bitch with leaked scripts is that it's like letting the general public in during a rehearsal or a production meeting before the show is aired. The product isn't finished yet. The script goes through multiple drafts and then it changes on the set and again in post production. Let us finish the work, then show it to you. If, after you've seen, it you're still interested in how it was made, then go ahead and read the scripts, listen to a podcast of a writers' meeting -- whatever. But give us a chance to present the material on our own terms first.

On the subject of fan input, I have to say that while I'm interested in fan reaction to the show, I'm not really eliciting input. This isn't a democracy; it's a television show. I love seeing what people like and what they don't like and I really do read a great deal of fan criticism of the show, but at the end of the day, I still go with what I want to write and with what I think is a good piece of drama. To me, that's the only way this crazy process can work.

In a very recent interview you expressed a wish to do some interactive stories that would allow fans to interact in the story via games and what not via an online environment a little like Everquest or perhaps through a series or games for consoles and PC's. What kind of stories do you think you'd be able to tell in these formats and how open ended do you think they would be?I'm actually exploring some of these ideas right now and I'd like to wait and talk about it in more detail at a later time.

Given that there is still a large chunk of the fan base that would like to see some sort of continuation of the original series in perhaps a straight to DVD format, and also given the fact that Tom DeSanto remains interested in continuing the original story. Do you think that the two Universes would be able to co-exist without either side of the fan base losing out, and given that should this other project ever get greenlighted would you yourself support it, given that you could not really see a way to go for updating the original story when you started this journey back in May of 2002?

I have no problem with Tom or anyone else who wants to do a revival of the original cast and characters or do some kind of continuation. If they can get a good story together and get the pieces lined up to do it, then more power to them.

SciFi Pulse would like to thank the good folks at Battlestargalactica.com for helping out on this and Ron D. Moore for taking time out of his busy schedule to answer the above questions.

Tuesday, August 8

Battlestar Galactica is surely the biggest television surprise of the last decade - who imagined that a crappy Star Wars rip-off TV series from the 70s could be reimagined in the 21st century as the smartest, most relevant show on any network? It took me a long time to accept that this show could be worth anything, but when I gave in and watched it, I got hooked immediately. Every person I bring to the show is an uphill battle ... until they actually sit down and watch the thing.

Battlestar doesn't take place in the future; rather it's a show set in another galaxy where humans have colonized twelve planets and created a peaceful society. A generation ago the human's robot slaves, the Cylons, rebelled, and a bloody war was fought. Forty years of peace followed, with the Cylons disappearing. But they return one day and wipe out the twelve planets, leaving only a ragtag fleet of less than 50,000 human survivors lost in the galaxy, trying to find the mythical planet of Earth. Meanwhile, the Cylons have new models that are indistinguishable from humans, and they have infiltrated the human fleet. The show examines war and conflict in a very modern setting - a recent episode had a human partisan on a Cylon occupied human world acting as a terrorist, blowing up a café full of humanoid Cylons.

The cast of Battlestar was at Comic Con this year, but I was too busy to make it to their panel. Color me very bummed. I was able to get a few minutes with Edward James Olmos, though, as he was promoting his son's directorial debut, the gangster film Splinter. On Battlestar Olmos plays Admiral Adama, the man in charge of the ragtag fleet, and the man who has had to make some tough and controversial decisions to keep humanity alive.

To find out more about Splinter, visit the official site here. To order season one of Battlestar, click here. To order the first half of season two, click here the second half of season two can be pre-ordered here.

Q: Talking to the cast of Splinter, one thing that keeps coming up is that while the film is a thriller and it needs to be exciting, the movie has reality to it. It seems to be the same thing with Battlestar - sure it's sci fi, but it's addressing political issues. How important is that to you in your work?

Olmos: It makes all the difference in the world when you have this passion for what you're doing. You've got to have a strong sense of understanding of that. It affects everything. Intent equals content - the intention with which you're doing something comes out in the content. Everytime. If your intention is to make money, you see it like that in the art. If your intention is to become rich and famous you can see the intention in the choices the person is making and where they're going. There's no hiding a commercial artist when you see one. I've never been able to do that - and I've made commercial pieces of work. They all had the sense of understanding humanity in a way that allowed you to go to the movie and come out understanding a little bit about yourself. That's what it's all about.

Q: Do you think the reality is important to the audience as well?

Olmos: Did you see American Me? That's an ugly movie; nobody should be exposed to that. What the hell do you want to go for two hours and watch that life? Better you should go to The Godfather - at least that's romantic and you come out humming the theme song.

Q: Life is ugly sometimes.

Olmos: It is. And that's exactly what [Splinter] is.

Q: The reality that you guys bring to Battlestar will be continuing in the third season - we're going to learn that Adama has a dark past.

Olmos: Man, it's brutal. I can honestly tell you the first two years cannot prepare you for what happens in the third. Not even close. I'll tell you this, you're going to have to deal with suicide bombers. You're going to have to deal with the spread of a pandemic for the annihilation of an entire race ... done by the good guys! The good guys are the ones doing it. It makes you stop and reevaluate.

You're talking about the last vestiges of the human species. When we enter the third season - we were 49,000 people when we left our planets at the very beginning, at the first episode of this journey to find another planet to breed humankind again. We're now less than 38,000. We lost 11,000 people, man.

Q: Are you surprised that the show can be that dark and that brutal and yet be so popular?

Olmos: Yeah! Yeah! I'm totally blown away. We won the Peabody, man! Give me a ****ing break. How in the world does that add up? Where does that line cross? How does that happen? I get chills. I've been doing this for 41 years, man, and Battlestar Galactica wins the Peabody? I'm the ****ing guy that did Stand and Deliver! I'm the guy that did The Ballad of Gregorio Cortez. I have used the television medium to the best of my abilities and done stuff that will be lasting forever in the annals of the artform - and Battlestar Galactica gets the Peabody.

Q: How long do you see the show going on for?

Olmos: We've been talking about it. It's hard to write this. These guys are always on the verge of a nervous breakdown because they can't go in for the flash and the simple, basic sci fi mode. If they do that, they'll crush everyone.

Q: Everybody expects more.

Olmos: Oh man, they do. And they're waiting, and they're anxious. And you know what? I'll give you my attention, and you are the best show. Now what are you going to do this time? People are dying to turn on the television and see this piece of work. It's unbelievable. I don't know what to say about it. I'm blown away.

Q: Adama has to make tough decisions, has to do things that cross the line or could be considered troubling - how important is it that you agree with him, or understand where he's coming from?

Olmos: As a human being? Me, as an actor? I never get into that kind of psychology. When you're inside that world, everything is the end of all humankind. Every single day, every single time. We did last week - it was the darkest week I have ever spent in film, ever, in which I am literally going to annihilate, push all the nuclear weapons I have on the ship to annihilate everything. The Cylons, us, everything. It's all over guys! I have my finger on the button, man! And it's so brutal. It's just so brutal what happens, man.

Q: How do you decompress from that?

Olmos: It's hard. You come home from work worn out. The whole day you spent in this vicious, vicious world that's self-destructive. I'm in constant conflict with everybody - my son, Tigh, the relationship between me and everybody. It's tremendously difficult. You just feel for everybody.

Q: That's part of the joy of the show.

Olmos: It is. Everybody loves it. They love that tension, they love to go, 'What's he going to do now?' It's amazing. I am so lucky - I am a true believer in the program. I believe this is one of the greatest programs I have ever been involved with in my life and that I have ever seen on television.

Monday, August 7

I have been hearing folks rave about how great the new Battlestar Galactica series is. I don't own a television, so I haven't been able to watch, but when the opportunity came to review the DVD set for season 2.5, I decided to jump in and watch all of the preceeding episodes, including the miniseries that served as a three hour pilot.

Holy freakin' cow that was intense!

This series is a bit different from the old Battlestar Galactica. Humans created robot/android type things called the Cylons to be mechanical slaves. The Cylons became self-aware and turned on the humans. After a war, an armistice was declared, and for forty years it seemed like that was the end. Then the Cylons came back, stronger, and nearly destroyed all of humanity in one day. Only 50,000 humans remain, protected by Galactica. They are looking for a new home that is safe from the Cylons.

I knew the basic premise of the show before watching it, but nothing I had heard or read prepared me for the reality. This is not the old Battlestar Galactica with its 70's and 80's science fiction sensibilities. This is for modern viewers who are not afraid of androids that look like "walking chrome toasters." This miniseries had me on the edge of my seat the whole time. In fact, my muscles are still tense and I am thinking I will need to watch something light and fluffy now if I am ever going to fall asleep.

Friday, August 4

More than 100 cast and crew of the television series Battlestar Galactica converged on East Shuswap Road to film scenes for the episode Eye of Jupiter and Rapture. And that meant creating the Algae planet.

The sci-fi series, produced by Ronald D. Moore (who has also produced Carnivale and written for Star Trek: The Next Generation and Deep Space Nine) boldly goes where many have gone before - and re-imagines the classic tale of good versus evil.

For those not familiar with the series, here's a brief explanation of this episode's plot: The robotic cylons are chasing a fugitive starfleet of humans (their creators) around the galaxy in an attempt to annihilate them.

These humans, meanwhile, are searching for the fabled 13th tribe of other humans, presumed to be living on the planet Earth.

The series, which stars Edward James Olmos and Mary McDonnell, is a gripping drama of human survival against unimaginable odds. A socially relevant, politically charged drama with religious overtones, the series has received critical acclaim in its last three years on air.

The New York Times has said of the series: "Do you think you're too cool to watch it? Because you're not."

Newsday calls it "the best show on television."

A coup for the Thompson-Nicola Regional District, the estimated local economic impact of this week's filming is upwards of $100,000.

During filming on Tuesday morning, line producer Ron French and star Jamie Bamber took time out to talk with KTW about the show, their credit, hot chicks and what ifs:

KTW: What is it about Kamloops that looks like an alien algae planet?

Ron French: "We needed a place close enough to Vancouver with the kind of services that Kamloops has, but also nearby a very barren look - and the hoodoos were a very interesting look for us."

KTW: Do you think Kamloops is what an alien planet would look like?

RF: "(observing his surroundings off East Shuswap Road) You could do this as a planet in space, yes. There are places that could look like this.

"I don't know about the shrubbery so much, but everything else fits."

KTW: (suspiciously) I wouldn't know . . .

Jamie, are you a big sci-fi fan?

Jamie Bamber: "No, not really. I used to be as a kid, but I am a fan of good movies and if there's a good movie that happens to be sci-fi, then I'll see it."

KTW: What's the best sci-fi movie you ever saw?

JB: "That's a good question . . . I guess Bladerunner, or Star Wars as a kid . . . or Gattaca. I really liked that."

KTW: Hey, did you know you could get a Battlestar Galactica Mastercard? Do you have one?

RF: "No, I didn't know that and, no, I'm not going to get one. I don't want them knowing where my money goes."

KTW: Right . . .

JB: "I did, actually. I just found out a few days ago. I don't have one, but it's kind of trippy, I suppose. And, no, I won't be getting one."

KTW: Ron, you're a line producer? What is that?

RF: "What happens is, the Americans come up and they've got the money and the script and they say, 'Make this for us.' So [line producers] understand how to schedule it, budget it, who to hire, all that sort of stuff."

KTW: Kind of like a Canadian concierge?

RF: "(laughs) Yes."

KTW: Jamie, as an actor, what is most fun about working on a sci-fi production?

JB: "The funnest for me is to fly a Viper, which is kind of an iconic thing because back in the late '70s, when I was a small child, I had one as a toy, so to become kind of a space pilot is fun."

KTW: Ron, what would happen if the crew of Battlestar Galactica landed on the island in Lost?

RF: "I'm pretty sure they would know how to survive a bit better because they've had to do this several places where they've landed on planets, inhabited it for a short time and then moved on to another place. That's what goes on in the show a lot. And if we were on network television, we would probably beat Lost [in the ratings], but unfortunately, we're not network TV, we're cable."

KTW: Just curious, on the scifi.com website, director Ron Moore has a Q&A section. One of the questions posted claims there is a huge gay following to the show and the author was wondering why there were no homosexuals in space.

RF: "There's no 'said' homosexuals on the show. . . I didn't realize there was a gay following. . . Probably a couple of hunky guys on the show like Jamie and people like that probably draws them, but I've not heard that before."

KTW: I understand the show is pretty political. What's the most risque episode you've been involved with?

RF: "Well, it's on cable so there's quite a bit of risque stuff (laughs). The subject matter, actually, is very political and it's amazing how much, especially when the Americans attacked Iraq, how much our story line began to follow that, even to the point of suicide bombers. [Ron Moore] did an interesting thing. He reversed the roles. The heros were the insurgents fighting against the Cylon attackers, which were essentially the American side of the Iraq war. And it's interesting because, if anything else, it opened up a lot of eyes as far as I was concerned, of everyone has a point in what they're doing, whether they're the insurgents or whether they're the attackers in the first place. I thought that was really good."

KTW: OK, you're in the 13th tribe on Earth and you find out the Cylons are coming to nuke the planet. What do you do?

JB: "I would run home to my three little girls and I would just hug them and try to shield them."

KTW: You and you're family are getting evacuated. You can take three personal items with you on the spaceship. What do you take?

RF: "My wife and two kids - simple."

JB: "A pint of Guinness, bag of nuts and a good book."

KTW: If you could be any character on the show, which character would you be and why?

RF: "Baltar. He has the most fun and he has a great life. You'll see in upcoming episodes. Tricia Helfer [a Victoria's Secret model], our Canadian star on the show, is his love interest. He also has a love interest with Lucy Lawless and he just goes on and on and on . . .

JB: "Yup, everyone will say that. I would pick Baltar because he gets to basically live in his tiny mind, which involves sleeping with every beautiful woman on the set on his own terms, at his own arrangements, at his own conveniences."

Thursday, August 3

The final frontier came to Earth Tuesday as cast and crew of the TV’s Battlestar: Galactica turned Kamloops into a futuristic war zone.About 110 grips, sound men and camera operators joined stars from the popular sci-fi series in the hills near Harper Ranch for the three-day shoot. As reported last month on Galacticastation.com , the show has used locations that go away from it's central base in Vancouver. The Kamloops an area in the South East of British Columbia has been chosen as a backdrop of one of the new episodes of the forthcoming Third season of the hit sci fi channel show. Kamloops Mayor Terry Lake stated his delight of the injection of cash and exposure brought to the area which was seen to be in the region of $100,000 . " This is a coup for us as television series seldom film outside Vancouver, or they film very close to it because each episode is on a very tight budget." Mr Lake spent some time on the set "“It’s amazing the amount of work that goes into a show like this. They’re here for three days for just 20 minutes on the show. It’s really amazing.” Jamie Bamber who plays Lee "Apollo" Adama on the series gave the Daily news some insight into filming. "“We end up in a pitched battle...Battle scenes can be pretty confusing anyway. As actors we rely on our creative imagination." Jamie Bamber also enjoyed the setting and the location and was joined by Aaron Douglas, Nicki Clyne and Diego Diablo Del Mar. Bamber continued to add " “This is the first time we’ve been on a location outside of Vancouver. It’s great to have different locations for the show. It’s like holiday camp for the crew."

A Diamond Select Release! From the hit new Sci-Fi series, this resin statue showcases the Battlestar Galactica ship down to the smallest details. Created from the digital production files used on the series, this out-of-this-world statue…

# was sculpted by Art Asylum# measures approximately 15" long# comes painted and ready for display# is limited to 2003 (the year of this design’s debut)# features a matching box and Certificate of Authenticity

Universal has just released menus for the BSG Season 2.5 boxed set to be released on September 19th, and they list the bonus materials which will be on the discs. Here they are: further images of the menu can be see by clicking the above link.

Wednesday, August 2

"Before we begin frantically searching the battlestar set for a glass of ice water, Park describes what's in store for Valerii in season three - which begins four months after the cylon invasion of New Caprica "she's flying again. So you witness her being reinstated. I found out that I was married, too."

Reinstated? Married? Does this mean Adama has finally come to trust Valerii? "I think Adama trusts her. The President is still quite wary. Obviously Helo trusts her and they are a few of her long time friends that are perhaps happy she's back, but not necessarily openly sharing how they feel about that. Because there's almost dissent in the ranks now, which you'll start seeing a little bit later, that starts creating chaos...She's never completely trustworthy. I think like anyone, she tries her best but she's been tested so hard that sometimes she snaps and she's liable to do something that's probably not rational.

"I think season two definately saw a lot of trauma and catastrophe around Sharon. Every episode there was a new disaster and it didn;t seem like it was gonna let up. At the same time the storyline also changed. But just when you think you can trust her they (the writers) throw in something. I think they like to keep playing with the audience. And thats fun. I think that's part of the intrigue of her character.

Though Park praises Battlestar's entire cast - calling them "a damn good troupe" - she gives special credit to the man who play's Valerii's new husband Helo -actor Tahmoh Penikitt. "It's really rewarding working with Tahmoh, becuase he;s always growing and changing as an artist. And if i'm stuck he definately puts his two cents in and either laughs at me or gives me some good advice...

Tuesday, August 1

In the old days, characters in Battlestar Galactica looked as if their faces had been ironed, such was the thickness of their make-up. And, as befitted a science-fiction series, its spaceship and outdoor sets, along with the computer-animated battle scenes, were heartily fake. No one sweated, hairstyles and make-up withstood every situation and the acting was straight from How to Act in a Science-Fiction TV Series or How to Keep it Minimal When the Cylons are Attacking.

Now comes screenwriter and television producer Ronald D. Moore's reimagining of the almost 30-year-old series. And it is edge-of-your-seat viewing. The strongest changes are in the quality of the acting (in parts, it suggests quality contemporary Shakespeare theatre productions) and the way it is filmed. The battle scenes are fast, furious and lashed in sweat, dirt and stark lighting.

Tonight's episode, which features President Roslin behind bars and Colonel Tigh trying to correct an emergency jump as Commander Adama hovers towards death after being shot by a Cylon infiltrator, is reminiscent of footage of US armed forces in the Middle East. Pilots are grunts, the violence is shocking and no one seems to have had time to apply even face powder. Completely gripping.

The Official Magazine talks to Jamie Bamber about love, war - and losing weight!

For Lee 'Apollo' Adama, the Battlestar Galactica's second year of flight from the Cylon armada was full of pain and adversity. From the near-assassination of his father in CIC and finding the AWOL Kara Thrace alive and well, to his own thoughts of suicide, things just weren't that easy. There were moments of happiness, however - his relationship with Anastasia Dualla, and taking command of the Pegasus, for example. But then came the settlement of New Caprica and Lee, always active, suddenly found himself more redundant than he'd been in years. Jump forward 12 months, and viewers can hardly recognize the chubby commander wearing both his uniform - and a distinct lack of motivation. What happened to Apollo, and will he be able to rise to the occasion following the Cylon occupation of the Humans' new 'home'? Actor Jamie Bamber took time out from filming season three to give us an update.

Ned Hartley: How did you feel when you first saw that "One Year Later" jump at the end of Lay Down Your Burdens?

Well, it completely passed me by to be honest! When I'm reading a script I tend to be quite fast, and I just tend to read the dialogue. So I missed the "ONE YEAR LATER" in bold letters between scenes! I couldn't work out how suddenly everyone was pregnant or was getting on with people they hadn't in the past! Once I was made aware, I thought it was a bit of a gimmick and a bit silly, but then I understood the potential for what it is. It's a cliffhanger in its own right. There is the anticipation of filling that year's gap in the form of flashbacks in the next season. I think that's pretty interesting storytelling, a way of keeping the audience's anticipation up, when on the surface of it the conclusion of season two is about settling, is about finding a home and starting again. It's kind of the resolution of the drama rather than the unfolding of more drama.

NH: How do you think that year affected Lee as a character?

When I started off this year, I didn't really know, because the writers hadn't really filled in the gaps for us. Obviously there's been a fallout between Kara and Lee, which is referred to in the confrontation at the end of episode 20, but we had no idea what actually had happened. Nor did the writers! Now I do know, and it's kind of huge. I'm not really sure how he's ever going to forgive her, and how they're ever going to stomach each other ever again. Because what does happen between them is very painful. What happens to Lee in the year is that he is very hurt and I guess [he] loses his way, his sense of purpose, [and] some of his self-esteem. He ends up marrying Dualla, maybe not from the best of starting points, and whilst the marriage and that relationship is actually quite a healthy and open one, it starts for perhaps the wrong reasons. [The fleet] is just floating around in space on Battlestars that are no longer able to function, really, or fight. They don't have a war. [So] Lee has lost his drive, his sense of self worth - although he doesn't realize it. He thinks he's perfectly happy. The [gain in] weight is just an aspect of that, it's a form of depression for the character, and it's one you can understand when your function in life is taken away from you, and you're feeling redundant as a human being and as an officer.

NH: How do you think his relationship with his father has been affected?

It's quite interesting because they've obviously been separate and together. They've been on separate Battlestars orbiting these planets, and they have to work together, but there's no work really to do. So the relationship is in some regards a lot easier, but they've lost something ... it used to thrive on steadfastness in adversity. The problem is that there is no adversity, so there's lots of time for the little squabbles to break out between them. They have differences of opinion in how peace time should be spent. Adama has become a bit obsessed about training exercises and drilling, to the extent that he actually risks the wellbeing of pilots and the crew. Lee can't really see the point in this manic practicing for something that may never come to pass. He's much more laid back and more pragmatic about what they are doing. There's a frustration each man is feeling within himself about being useless and being made redundant in the whole situation, which comes to the fore. They take it out on each other. They always end up shouting at each other.

NH: Do you think Lee really does need a war? Last year was a very dark place for him...

That's the surprise - he does need a war and he didn't know that to be true. There's a line where Dualla says that, and confronts him with the fact that he is his father's son, and he can't survive without the task he's learnt to perform. He is a soldier. He has always denied that, whether he's been in denial about what he wants to be and what his dad represents. At the beginning of season three I think he slowly discovers that with the return of the Cylons, suddenly the pieces slot back together in his life. He is still devastated by what happened with Starbuck, but he does start to come together again when the war kicks off again, so that answers the doubts in his own mind very deeply.

NH: Do you think Lee works better as a Commander of the Pegasus or as a CAG on the flight deck?

Well I think the whole Commander thing was great for the character, because it's playing out that particular beat of self-knowledge. There's no more obvious way he could become his father's son than by doing what his father has always done, by standing in the CIC and commanding the whole battlestar. While he's absolutely terrified of that whole prospect, he finds that it sits easily with him and that makes sense. That's another eerie moment for him, when he's actually capable, and that's something that works for him. That's something that has given him a sense of who he actually is.

NH: There are a lot of references to the way that Lee has gained weight. How did you feel when you first read this?

Fine, because they're putting me in a huge prosthetic every day. This is the funny thing, at the end of season two, in the last few scenes on Pegasus, I'm wearing a huge fat face prosthetic and a lot of people hadn't picked up on that! But I do four hours of makeup putting on this prosthetic face, and I actually wear Grace Park's pregnancy belly that she wore when she was pregnant in the show as Boomer. I put that under my uniform, so I'm pretty rolly-polly! And that's definitely a conscious thing that the character's got to do at the beginning of the season. It's been great because it changes him. It changes, obviously his weight, but it gives him a sense of gravity in this commanding capacity. It makes him look more like his old man actually, from what I've seen of the dailies of them in profile talking to each other. They have similar profiles now, not that I am saying that Eddie is overweight, he's not, but against a middle-aged man, Lee suddenly looks older, he looks more weighty, and experienced. It's interesting because they look more equal than they have been. I've enjoyed that as an actor.

NH: You weren't tempted to start eating loads and put on weight like DeNiro in Raging Bull?

I would have gladly done that! No, because that within three or four episodes there would be a need for a flashback, and also the story will move on and Lee sorts himself out. That hasn't happened yet, but I have shot flashbacks where I had to be the old Lee. So there was no real question of being able to go on a massive donut binge. But I do get lots of abuse from the crew whenever I am eating! I feel really self-conscious just about the act of eating, and you don't want anyone to witness it because you get grief. But it's good to play a character in a different position. He's always been ridiculously fit. When I first got the job they gave me a personal trainer. I've been used to the character being defined by being kind of lean and efficient and motivated. It's great to take all that away and go the other direction completely.NH: Where do you see the character going? What would you like to explore more?

Lee has very rarely been involved in the main drive of the Galactica plot. He's more relationships, his relationship with his dad and with Kara and the with Dualla and the President. He's someone that moves through the fleet and interacts with everyone, but he's never been involved in the war and the flight from the Cylons and the search for Earth. I'd like to get more involved in that, come face to face with some of these human Cylons. But I'm happy to be a tool of the writers, and as long as Lee is part of the plot then I'm very happy to go wherever they want me to go. I think it might be interesting to be more at the forefront, especially now as a character he has to carry more weight, and I use that word in terms of responsibility, not just in terms of layers of fat!

NH: Last season Lee was in a difficult place. Was that hard to play?

No, because the premise of the show is so dark, it's almost a relief when you are asked to actually embrace the true reality of this situation. Most of the characters are amazingly efficient at surviving and creating a life in this tin can in space, and they are able to ignore the apparent futility and desperation of the whole situation. So when you get a chance as a character to suddenly spin out and question the worth of the struggle, then it's actually quite easy, it's quite a valid way for them to go. If you look at the show, almost every character has been there, Baltar seems to go there about twice an episode, Starbuck goes there quite frequently. There's a nihilism in her inability to connect with people and relationships and there's a real sadness to her. I think it's something that's natural.

NH: Many of the situations presented in Battlestar Galactica seem to have relevance to situations and events in the real world. Is that something you think about as an actor when you read these scripts?

Oh yeah definitely, the first two scripts of season three were I think the best scripts we've had since the very beginning of the first season, just because of that. For me as a more European [actor], parallels with Vichy France jumped off the page, when you've got collaborators and a resistance movement. In the episodes we're about to shoot right now there's an episode about vigilantes exacting revenge on collaborators, which is exactly what happened at the end of the Second World War in France. That is definitely the reason I like this show, it is that it is not so much about science fiction as about societies and people and the way in which they are built and also tear themselves apart. The whole New Caprica storyline, I was a bit anxious about it because it undermines the premise of the fugitive fleet in space without a home, but it's a very valid experiment. What we've been able to portray there is the way in which societies try to establish themselves, and in times of conflict often it's the divisions within groups that comes out. We're in a unique position because our context is so different that we can make very bold and dramatic storylines about things that otherwise would be maybe too controversial or party political.

NH: How would you like to see the series develop?

I never want to see the show drift too far away from the study of people and how they cope with different situations. For me the show works less [well] when you reveal too much about how the Cylon society is different from ours, it becomes a bit sci-fi and a bit irrelevant. That kind of musing doesn't interest me so much as looking at the way that people deal with the enemy, the way they deal with being homeless and the way they try and establish life. The Cylons are interesting to me. They are a humanity without the baggage of history, and they are trying to perfect what humanity has messed up. Their Theology is interesting to me, in that they have a creation story, they have an open idea of God. Downloaded as an episode is maybe one that went a bit too far, there are some great scenes in it, but I think looking at the Cylon society for me is the same as looking at the shark in Jaws. The more you see the shark and the way it moves, the less fear it holds. I think that to me is where the core of our show lies; [it's] not so much trying to explain the notion of humanoid robots. I think the whole point of making them look human is that you're trying to look even more closely about what it means to be human. Putting humanity under the microscope interests me.